US and Iran near deal to end Hormuz standoff
President Trump said Wednesday a US-Iran deal is "very possible" after 44 hours of negotiations, warning bombing would resume at "a much higher level and intensity" if Iran refuses terms to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. A one-page memorandum reportedly includes a moratorium on Iranian uranium enrichment, the lifting of sanctions, and distribution of frozen funds. Oil prices stabilized near $100 per barrel. A US fighter jet shot out the rudder of an Iranian oil tanker attempting to breach an American blockade in the Gulf of Oman. Shipping companies like Hapag-Lloyd report losses of approximately $60 million per week.
Anthropic Revenue Surges 80-Fold, Strains Infrastructure
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei revealed the company experienced an 80-fold increase in revenue and usage in Q1 2026, despite planning for only a 10-fold jump. The growth has been driven by Claude AI models, particularly Claude Code for software development. The company announced a deal with SpaceX for over 300 megawatts of compute capacity at the Colossus One data center in Memphis, Tennessee, and a separate multibillion-dollar agreement with Amazon. Anthropic was blacklisted by the Pentagon in March from military contracts, with the dispute making its way through the legal system.
Samsung Watch Predicts Fainting with 84% Accuracy
Samsung Electronics and Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital have developed a system predicting fainting episodes using the Galaxy Watch 6. A clinical study published in the European Heart Journal Digital Health shows the device anticipates vasovagal syncope up to five minutes ahead with 84.6 percent accuracy. The research evaluated 132 patients using photoplethysmography sensors and AI analysis, achieving 90 percent sensitivity. Vasovagal syncope affects up to 40 percent of people over their lifetime and often causes dangerous falls. Samsung plans to integrate the predictive technology into future wearable devices.
Lula visits White House to mend US-Brazil ties
Brazilian President Lula met with U.S. President Trump at the White House on May 7, their second in-person meeting following one in Malaysia last October. Security cooperation and rare earth minerals topped the agenda as Brazil seeks to prevent Washington from designating cartels like the PCC and Comando Vermelho as terrorist organizations. Brazil holds the world's second-largest rare earth reserves, which are crucial for high-tech manufacturing. The meeting carries electoral significance ahead of October, when polls show Lula in a tight race against Senator Flavio Bolsonaro.
Trade Court Strikes Down Trump's 10% Global Tariffs
The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled Thursday against President Donald Trump's 10% global tariffs imposed in February, finding the duties were not justified under a 1970s trade law. The divided 2-1 ruling sided with small businesses that had challenged the tariffs. Trump had invoked Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows duties lasting up to 150 days to address balance of payments deficits, but the court found the law was not an appropriate mechanism for the deficits cited. One judge noted it was premature to grant victory to the plaintiffs.
EU bans AI nudification apps in record AI Act deal
The EU and European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement to ban AI tools that generate non-consensual sexualized deepfakes, known as "nudification" apps, following incidents involving Elon Musk's Grok chatbot. X users created three million sexualized images of women and children in 11 days using the tool. Companies must comply by December 2, 2026. Implementation of obligations for high-risk AI systems, including biometrics and law enforcement, has been delayed until December 2, 2027. The amendments require formal approval from Parliament and EU governments.
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- China Sentences Two Ex-Defence Ministers to Death. Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, who served sequentially as China's top military officials, received the punishment as part of President Xi's ongoing anti-corruption purge of the People's Liberation Army.
- Maersk Loses $500M Monthly; Shell Profits Rise 24%. The conflict has closed the Strait of Hormuz, pushing oil above $90 a barrel and hammering shippers while boosting oil majors. Shell reports $6.92bn in earnings and promises shareholder returns.
- Toyota forecasts 22% profit drop as new CEO takes helm. The world's top-selling automaker expects operating income to fall to 3 trillion yen, missing estimates, as U.S. tariffs and Middle East disruptions weigh on earnings despite record sales from hybrid demand.
- Sir David Attenborough turns 100 with Royal Albert Hall concert. Alastair Fothergill says the legendary naturalist would prefer a quiet evening at home, but will embrace the celebration. The 90-minute BBC event will feature tributes from Michael Palin, Chris Packham and musical performances by Bastille and Sigur Rós.
- Anthropic AI finds 271 Firefox bugs in two months. Mozilla's AI vulnerability detection system identified flaws that had lurked in Firefox's codebase for over a decade, driving a fourteenfold increase in monthly bug fixes. The AI-generated patches still require human review before deployment.